写了这么久博客了，相信大家都知道每个常客计划在兑换的时候停留和开口程 规定都是不一样的，有些计划允许一次停留或一次开口程，例如US airways, 而有些计划是按照总飞行路线计算，中间可多次停留，例如AA的 explorer award, 而有些计划则允许一次停留+一次开口例如美联航，达美。而加拿大航空则甚至允许2个停留加一个开口。
Via: Hotel Panda in China
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Hack My Trip - Review: Lorien Hotel & Spa, Old Town Alexandria
The Frequent Travelers University ended late, so I booked my return flight for the following day with plans to see a friend living in the area. My original hotel, the Hyatt Alexandria, is a fine property but oriented toward business travelers and surrounded by office towers. I decided to find something with a little more character, something that Kimpton tends to excel at.
Kimpton's Lorien Hotel & Spa in Old Town, a couple stops further south on the Metro, was actually $20 cheaper and earned me a second stay toward the three I need to unlock the six free nights I earn as a member of Kimpton's Inner Circle. (FYI: All three of Kimpton's hotels in Alexandria make the top five list on Trip Advisor. It's ratings aren't perfect, but they are often more right than wrong.)
Check-in was a breeze, and I was upgraded from a standard room with one queen bed to a Lorien Suite, with a separate living room and a giant bathroom. There are several of these suites throughout the hotel, so I think the odds of an upgrade for Inner Circle members is quite good.
Let's start with the bedroom, my favorite room in the suite. The lamplight in the evening was warm and the natural light in the morning was more than sufficient. I liked the light blue walls, white furnishings, and comfortable easy chair. It even had a soft, woven blanket if I had wanted to curl up with a book.
Venetian blinds on the windows were high quality and more tasteful than drapes. Blackout drapes were still provided if, like me, you are sensitive to any light when trying to sleep, though an ottoman right below the window made them difficult to close.
The bathroom really drove home the contemporary design of the hotel, which attempted to add a modern edge to the comfortable, plush style like I saw in my bedroom. There was a significant amount of marble with a concrete countertop. Megan would have loved that countertop. I appreciated that even though it was one big room, it was very effectively partitioned to create separate areas for the toilet, sink, shower, and claw foot tub. Nothing was squeezed together.
Enough space between the shower and tub, as well as a lip running down the middle of the room, meant water from the open shower did not create a mess everywhere else. Amenities were provided by C.O. Bigelow, which I recall from my stay at the Andaz Wall Street. They are nice, but the scent is not for me.
Yes, I did take a soak in the tub. It was fairly spacious for a large guy like me. Most hotel tubs are far too small. But it took forever to fill! A low-flow faucet makes sense for showers and sinks — you just need to get wet. But a tub is not about saving water and should have a more robust delivery system.
Despite the tub, my only real complaint about the suite was that the living room was severely under-lit. I understand the bedroom and bathroom are the focus of many suites, but living rooms are often overlooked. That extra space is wasted if I find myself preferring to lounge on the bed where the surroundings are nicer. Rather than the size of the room, how it's laid out and furnished matter more when creating a comfortable stay.
It may not look so blue in this photo, but the image is more grainy than usual — a good indicator when my iPhone is suffering from low light.
For example, my particular living room did not have any windows. This would not normally be a problem by itself. But the only lighting were a few fluorescent lamps emitting very cool light. This did not work well with the already blue-tinted walls. It was like being inside a dark ice cube, albeit one with very comfortable furniture. Switch out the bulbs for halogens and I think it would be just fine.
Besides a couch, chair, and some nice flowers, there was also a desk and not just Internet access but an actual computer. But first, I had to wade through all the food they left for my welcome amenity. (I was offered a free glass of wine at check in, too, even though I'd missed the usual manager's wine reception.) I continue to get far more food than I need for just myself during a one-night stay and felt a little guilty leaving half of it uneaten. However, my next stay will be three nights in Miami with Megan. I think we'll finally be able to make good use of that particular benefit.
As a "hotel and spa" the Lorien is a bit different from other Kimptons. For example, there are no animal print bathrobes, just standard white ones. I did not utilize the spa services on my short stay, but the amenities on the ground floor seemed more welcoming than I have seen elsewhere. There was an inner courtyard with tables and chairs, a small "library" style sitting area off the lobby, and even an outdoor fire pit. I went out there for about an hour to work on the blog, and it was still a little chilly. In retrospect I should have brought that blanket from my room.
I have heard that Brabo, a restaurant attached to the Lorien, is one of the best in Old Town. My friend and I did not eat there since we were looking for something more casual. Instead, we ate at the Brabo Tasting Room next door, which does not take reservations. The food was fantastic: I had a beer and one of the best meatball sandwiches ever.
Despite dozens of trips to Washington, DC, and even a three-month internship, I had never been to Old Town Alexandria before and was excited about the opportunity. Sadly, it rained most of Monday. I still took a quick walk to the waterfront and stopped in a coffee shop for breakfast. This small town probably wouldn't hold my attention for more than a day, but it could still make for a nice base when visiting the city if you were willing to tolerate the extra commute.
To explore the rest, I'll have to come back with Megan some time and get a better look. It was charming to see an example of early American colonialism without all the monuments and office towers I've seen in places like Washington, New York, Boston, or Philadelphia. We don't get a whole lot of that out West, where "old" things were built in the 1970s, not the 1770s!
Via: The Arabic script
Dallas : The Hotel Zaza in Dallas Gets Serious About Their Tech Offerings
Often times, when we plead our case for free hotel WiFi, we hear that setting up a network or upgrading an existing network is an expensive investment for hotels and in order to recoup the costs, they need to charge guests to use the WiFi.
Now, every hotel is different but there are plenty of hotels out there that have been updating their networks to provide faster speeds and more bandwidth to guests and they still aren't charging for WiFi.
For example, The Hotel ZaZa in Dallas which recently added a new fiber data network throughout the hotel. Hotel president, Benji Homsey, explained the reason for the network upgrade saying:
We designed this network with special attention to the increased presence of Apple iPad, iPhone and Google/Android users in conjunction with the typical laptop usage. We want every Hotel ZaZa guest to have the best, from coverage and access points to best of breed fiber data network to the newly installed bedside power docks in every room.
The ZaZa brand, which just turned 10 this year, has another hotel in Houton and plans to open a third in Austin. All with free WiFi too.
Now about those bedside power docks, check them out below. We're in love. The hotel has also put in smartphone docks into the suites which allow guests to power up any type of smartphone.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Marshall Knutson on Travel - Oklahoma.
Except you've been following the blog for decades, you might not recognise that I spent four years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, coming from 1996 to 2000. If the most recognized place an American Flight companies employee (current, or former in my case) is probably going to cycle through at a few point is Dallas/Fort Worthy of, the second most likely is required to be Tulsa. The area around Oklahoma City is very much most affected, and one good thing is, my friends there all are generally OK. There was just no way I was going to let the clock bite midnight, and not say something of what happened today. #PrayForOklahoma
More Info: Visiting Malta next European bloggers (I): cycling, kayaking, climbing and abseiling
Live from a Lounge - Poll: How do you use your India-minted miles?
Yesterday, I got involved in a Twitter debate on what is the worth of a mile earned in India, and I thought I'd put my views across on the blog to share with all of you and hear what do you have to say. This will be a series which will focus on valuing the key mileage currencies in India.
For earning capabilities in India, there are 4 kind of miles one could earn and accumulate, using different ways. Here they are:
The primary dissent I had with the people I was sparring with was the utilization of these miles, which impacts the underlying valuation of the miles. I've noticed in the past that most people tend to use the mileage currency for booking domestic tickets. Nothing wrong with the approach, but I just feel you're trading yourself cheap.
So, before I go down to writing my analysis, would you quickly help me with your views on how do you use your miles? Pick in the poll below, which will be open for 48 hours:
Regularly Flying - A Quick Evaluate the Refreshed ‘ Denver West’ United Club.
Usa Airlines is reportedly spending $50 million this year to renovate and refresh a lot of its United Club venues, and I had the chance to visit the recently remade Denver West location yesterday.
Basically what they've done is exchanged the seating for cutting edge chairs, tables and counters identical to what's inside the newest club location at Chicago O'Hare's Terminal 2 (F-concourse).
[My apologies to your poor quality iPhone shots – the lounge had been rather busy and I was seeking to be as discreet as possible. ]
United's clubs in Denver are notable for their lack of electrical power outlets and you'll still have trouble finding them if you're seated inside new leather chairs. But they also have at least added counters along the windows with outlets, together with included plugs underneath most of the tabletops.
The Denver East location has yet to receive the refresh and sports the same kind of worn furniture with highly limited access to power outlets. The enjoy, however, remains one of the greatest features of either club.
Tags: aircarrier, airport, airport lounge, colorado, denver east, denver gulf, Frequently Flying, lounge, united, united airlines, united clb
Via: Five destinations of beach to go with children (II): Lanzarote
Photo for the Moment: Sexy Booby Ft ., Ecuador.
Vagabondish founding publisher, Mike Richard, is your Rhode Island native, professional developer and travel junkie with the unhealthy addiction to hiking, hiking and seeing the modern world. He enjoys knit less difficult, small, declarative sentences and speaking in the third person. His experienced credits include "Woman's Country magazine contributor" and needing once been interviewed as a result of Tyra Banks (seriously).
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